Process of and apparatus for concentrating ores.



J. M.. CALLOW.

PROCESS 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4. i915. RENEWED AUG. 1,1917.V

aww/wko@ Jai/LM Gamm.

Patented Mar. 12

Ten STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'JOHN MICHAEL cALLow, or sALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A ssIGNon To METALsnncovERY COMPANY, or AUGUSTA, MAINE, A conPonATIoN oF MAINE.

' ing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Pnocnss or ANn'AIrAnATUs roneoNcENTnATING omas.

Specification o'i Letters Patent. A i Patented LIar, 12, 1918.

Application led February 4,1915, `Serial No. 6,089. Renewed August 1,1917. Serial No. 183,980.-

To (zZZ whom z't may concern: Be it known that I, JOHNv M. CALLow, a subject of the King of Great Britain, resld- Lake and State of Utah, have invented cerA` tain new and useful Improvements 1n Processes of and Apparatus for Concentrating Orcs, of which the tion. I

My invention relates to a process of and apparatus for 'the concentrationof metallic ores by separating the metallic partlcles from the barren or rocky constituents thereof. Primarily, my invention comprises the combination with a separatory cell'in whichl the separation of metalliferous fromnonmetalliferous particles occurs by flotation of the values, of a meansin advance of and connecting with said cell for effecting'a pre# liminary separation of coarse materlal, or gangue from lines` and delivering the separated fines into the receivin or head-end of the separatory cell where y the matter following is a specificadischarged from the preliminary separatorv is in turn acted upon by flotation to se arate the metalliferous from the associate nonmetalliferous material and to recover the former, as I will hereinafter describe and claim. j

The present invention is specifically related to the art commonly known as the dotation art. In that art one type of flotation processes consists in addin an oil, or an oil and an acid, or an 011 an an alkali, or some othersubstance capable of producing froth, to the finely ground .ore pulp and the mixture to water, and then subjectin I violent agitation under suc condltlpns that large volumes 4of air are beaten Into the mixture, whereupon a -tluckg permanent froth is produced wherein the mineral part1 cles of the ore or a large ortlonof them are collected and retaine and are ultimately recovered as a concentrate. In another type of flotation processes carriedbn in apparatus, oneexemplicatlon of whlch -is illustrated in the (present application, the

mixture of water an nelyrgroimd ore pulp inv which the oil, oil and acl 011 and alkali, or other modifying agent has been incorporated, is subjected to the aerating or gasifyentering at the lower portion of the `mixture rise through it and levitate to the surface thereof,vcarryin g with ,them the mineral constituents of the ore and passing overinto the launder or collecting trough in the form of an evanescent foam radically distinct in its hysical characteristics from the thick froth Incident to the beating of the mixure in the flotation processes above redf work than would otherwise be imposed' upon it. Accordingly, a leading object of the `present Invention 1s to provide a process of and a means for separa-ting the coarser material from the lines before the ore pulp is subjected to flotation.

In the accompanying drawings formin part of this specification I have illustrate one type of apparatus .for carrying out my invention and wherein- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view partially in elevation of a separatory cell and a preliminary separatorv associated therewith.`

Fig.- 2 isa top plan view showing the feed pipe omitted..l v

In the accompanying drawings, A, represents a separatory cell which may be of ain desired' form and construction, but whic for illustrative purposes is shown as being substantially clined bottom, a, with a tailings discharge, b, at the lower end, said tank having suitably rectangular .and having an in' `ing action of bubbles of gas or air, which, i

supported 'above its bottom a false floor or air, or other gaseous medium may be forced,

serve as a carrier for the mineral particles v 'i and appear on the top of the liquid as a separatory cell, some appropriate form of above the higher end of foam which overflows into a suitable launder or other receptacle.

During the described gassing of the pulp, which may be produced by any method known in this art, the non-metalliferous particles settle upon the inclined porous floor and gravitate thereover toward the tailings or discharge end, b, which action of the particles is facilitated by the discharge of the gaseous medium through the aforesaid porous bottom.

ln order t0 relieve the separatory cell of some of the work imposed upon it, it is desirable to effect a preliminary gassing separation of coarse from ne material and to deliver the separated fine material onlyinto the separatory cell where it is further and immediately treated by otation. To this end, l associate with the head end of the separator, which in the present instance is shown as including a tank or vessel, D, into which the crushed ore and water are delivered through a feed spout, E, or other appropriate means, said tank having a conical lower portion and a tailings or separating chamber, F, at its bottom and having an overiow or launder, G, at its upper end, said 'launder having its discharge leading into the head end of the separatory cell, A, just the inclined porous Hoor, B, thereof.

A suitable valve-controlled pipe, H, con nects with the lower part of the separating chamber, E, and is designed to conduct a gaseous medium, for instance, air, or water,

into the lower portion of the pulp contained within said chamber with the 'result that this gaseous upcast column serves to partly gasify the pulp and classify. the same; in other words, to separate the fine from the coarser particles by elevating the former and overflowing they same into the launder, G, for delivery into the head end of the separatory cell, where -the material is immediately treated by dotation as heretofore described.

assesses The coarser particles admitted into the preliminary separating chamber may be removed through an outlet, U, of any suitable character and may be rejected, or it may be sent to some other vessel orapparatus for further treatment.

By the foregoing process and the means described or the mechanical equivalents thereof i am enabled to effect a preliminary gassing and classification of the pulp, and by separating the coarse particles or sands, from the finer mineral bearing particles prior to sending the latter to the separatory l cell, A, I am permitted to relieve ,the separa-r tory cell of undesirable foreign matter and.rv at the same time facilitate the recovery of the value contained in the pulp admitted to said cell. o

Having thus described my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. 'llhe combination with a dotation cell having means for producing bubbles which act to separate by flotation the metalliferous particles of an ore mixturefrom the nonmetalliferous particles thereof, of a vessel for initially receiving the mixture, said vessel havin anoverflow from its upper portion into the cell and having a tailings separating chamber in the lower portion, and means for delivering gaseous Huid connecting with said vessely for` separating the coarse from the fine particles of the mixture'before o-` tation and previous-to the admission of the fine particles to said 'cell for dotation, said separating chamber having a tailings outlet.

2. flhe flotation process herein described which consists essentially, in separating the coarsey from the fine particles of a mixture containing powdered ore anda frothable agent, by preliminarily subjecting the mixture to the action of a gaseous column and thereby separatingrthe coarse particles and llllO which. consists, essentially, in separating the coarse .from the tine particles of a mixtureA containing powdered ore, water and a froth-l able agent, by preliminarily subjecting 'the mixtureto the action of an upcast gaseous column to thereby separate the fine particles from the coarse particles and overtiowing the tine particles and lighter non-metalliferousl particles and some of the duid constituents of the mixture into a separate flotation cell; and then substantially immediately subjecting said separated metallife'rous and Y 'non-metalliferous particles in said cell to gasivfying to form bubbles which separt-e by otation the metalliferous from the nonmetalliferous particles.

JOHNMICHAEL o ALLoW; Witnesses I L. TIMMERMAN, DAVID E. 'IHoMAs 

